Bad Air Days in Putnam County, Tennessee: under 1 a Year

under 1 bad air days a year

Rare: among the cleanest-air counties EPA monitors. Ranked 909 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly particles: smoke and dust (100% particle days).

When the bad days come in Putnam

Most bad days here fall in June. Averaged over 2016 to 2025.

Is a purifier worth it here?

Bad air days are rare here. A standard furnace filter is enough; no purifier needed for outdoor air.
On the odd bad day, check AirNow and keep windows shut.

The worst days on file

In 2000 to 2009 this county averaged 30 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, under 1. The air has improved. The worst recent year was 2023, with 1 bad day on 356 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2023-06-28	109	PM2.5
2020-06-27	105	PM2.5
2023-06-29	99	PM2.5
2021-07-22	91	PM2.5
2016-11-14	89	PM2.5

The air on a normal day

Across 3,268 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Putnam County rated Good on 80% of them, more often than the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 20%. The median day sat at AQI 34; one day in ten went above 55.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)100%3,268 days

Every recent year on file

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	359	323	36	0	30	66
2024	361	302	59	0	32	74
2023	356	258	97	1	38	109
2022	347	289	58	0	32	81
2021	356	268	88	0	36	91
2020	359	310	48	1	31	105
2019	360	291	69	0	33	67
2018	352	268	84	0	36	68
2017	296	206	90	0	42	73
2016	122	87	35	0	39	89
2015	118	81	37	0	37	65
2014	109	63	46	0	46	85
2013	113	73	40	0	44	70

*2025 may be a partial year in EPA's file.

Nearby counties on file

How this is counted

A bad air day is a day the county's daily AQI from EPA AirData went above 100, the level where EPA tells children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease to cut back outdoors. Monitors do not run every day, so yearly counts are scaled to 365 days. This is the record, not today's air: for that, check AirNow. More on the method in how the county numbers are made, on the AQI 100 line in what counts as a bad air day.